A historic building which was once at the centre of Derby’s railway industry has been fitted out to create a 21st century place for work and studying.
Derby IT and building technology firm Scenariio has installed a number of innovations at the Grade II-listed former Derby Midlands Carriage Works at Derby College’s Roundhouse campus on Pride Park.
The building, known as the Engine Room, has been transformed from a restaurant to a meeting and training space for the college’s business partners.
Scenariio, which is based in Siddals Road, has previously carried out work on behalf of Gymshark, Severn Trent Water and Tarmac.
It was called in to make sure that the building offered optimal user comfort with minimal running costs – installing AV equipment, movement-tracking sensors, temperature, CO2 levels and humidity sensors, and an intelligent “Power over Ethernet” lighting system.
It also installed booking software for desks and rooms that lets users book space on site or remotely.
The technology will ensure that the LED lights are turned off or dimmed when rooms are empty, while the lights next to the window use daylight harvesting, which automatically reduces their output in response to how bright it is outside.
The technology also provides an instant snapshot of what areas of the building are being used, the occupancy levels, how comfortable their experience is and what the energy usage is, 24 hours a day.
George Pritchard, technical director at Scenariio, said: “The Engine Room is a hugely important building in Derby’s history and it’s wonderful to think that our technology has helped to give it a new lease of life as a work and study space that’s fit for the 21st Century.
“Just because the building is more than 100 years old doesn’t mean that it has to be uncomfortable for people to work in or can’t be energy-saving, and it’s a great example of what we at Scenariio can do.
“The need for organisations to encourage people back into the workplace post-pandemic, the rising cost of energy and the need for organisations to reduce their carbon footprint is shining a light on how they need to improve and upgrade their premises.
"Expensive, overcrowded and badly lit offices are no longer acceptable, which is why our technology is becoming more and more in demand.”
Ian McCormick, director of IT at Derby College, said: “We are really pleased with the ease of use and data we are getting from the system Scenariio installed for us.
“It is great that one of our spaces is a leader in smart technology in the education sector, whilst the energy and efficiency savings delivered are especially important to us. Scenariio did a great job on design, install and support and we look forward to working with them again in the future.”
Scenariio has been fitting out premises with smart technology for almost a decade and its work has never been more in demand with companies and landlords required to upgrade facilities to meet new standards.
